Chapter 6 - There's a Reason You're Alone
"So... Not that I'm complaining, but why did you agree to come with us so easily? And, by the way, what should I call you?" Ajax asked, breaking the silence.
"You can call me Justice..." the girl replied while tearing off a sleeve from her clothing and tying the piece of fabric around her eyes.
She paused before continuing:
"I was already planning to travel with you. I thought it would be a good way to distract my mind. I just didn't expect to get kicked out of nowhere..." she concluded, casting a sidelong glance at Lyra. Even with her eyes covered, she somehow managed to convey a sarcastic stare that Lyra clearly felt.
Lyra simply crossed her arms and shrugged, ignoring the provocation; however, she couldn't prevent her fingers from restlessly tapping against her forearm.
Ajax raised a finger and opened his mouth, as if about to say something intelligent, but before any sound could escape, a distant roar captured their attention.
On the horizon, something grotesque moved rapidly. A swarm of amorphous creatures approached like a living wave, oscillating and pulsating, like the distorted reflection of a flood after a storm. Their shapes constantly shifted, making it impossible to distinguish where one ended and another began. The mixture of black and red composing the swarm seemed to vibrate, like boiling blood under the light of a furnace.
That sound, a blend of cracks and guttural murmurs, filled the air, growing in intensity as the swarm advanced. It was as if the very ground was being devoured by the chaos approaching.
"Demons!" Justice shouted before leaping off the cart, moving with the determination of a lion toward its prey.
As she ran toward the source of the commotion, her gloves and boots materialized, emitting metallic sounds of gears shifting. The scene before her was a macabre spectacle: the demons crawled around the body of a beast, which tore through them with primal violence. Every strike delivered by Justice, amplified by the mechanisms in her gear, made the ground tremble. It was as if two forces of nature clashed in a wild collision.
The chaos was interrupted by a hoarse voice carrying an almost comical tone:
"Well, well, well... What do we have here?"
Everyone's attention turned to a man who appeared to be in his sixties. His white hair was thinning at the top of his head, leaving him nearly bald, but a long beard of the same color extended down to his chest. He wore faded rags, and his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages.
In an almost surreal manner, the man navigated through the pandemonium of creatures, balancing on a piece of wood that floated unstably. He used a simple wooden stick as a paddle, as if he were crossing a calm river, indifferent to the chaos surrounding him.
Before any action could be taken, the man's expression twisted in pain. Stretching out his bandaged arm, he pointed two fingers in Justice's direction. A sphere of black energy, with pulsating red edges, emerged in the air, firing a beam straight at her.
Justice attempted to block it, but her right gauntlet was shattered, and she was violently hurled backward. Quickly, she manipulated her equipment, summoning a massive scythe. The curved blade was about a meter and a half long, and the shaft, with sharp points on both ends, looked as lethal as the blade itself. She spun the weapon in the air masterfully, as if challenging her enemy to a duel.
At that moment, Lyra and Ajax arrived at the battlefield. The girl, her fiery red hair blazing, began moving her arms in circles, murmuring precise words to maintain focus. Suddenly, she pulled her hands back and, with a swift motion, thrust them forward. A torrent of colorless liquid shot toward the creatures. Upon reaching a certain distance, the liquid rapidly evaporated, transforming into a dense cloud. The demons that came into contact with the vapor began to burn and convulse, releasing guttural screams of agony.
Seizing the opening Lyra created, Justice leaped with immense force, heading directly toward the mysterious man. However, he removed the bandages covering his arm, revealing a nauseating sight: his skin was infested with parasitic demons, writhing like living worms in decayed flesh.
The parasites seemed agitated, as if responding to the frenzy of battle. Within seconds, they spread across the man's arm, completely covering it until they formed a grotesque, twisted spike.
Justice was prepared to counterattack and finish her opponent with a precise strike. It would be perfect. However, the entire display was merely a distraction. The spike formed by the demons quickly dissipated, and numerous creatures leaped toward the woman in black. Justice began slicing through them in the air with precision, but the severed pieces started to burn and then explode, launching her toward the red-black ocean below.
Ajax rushed in to provide support, using his equipment. He stomped on the creatures trying to surround him while manipulating his metallic boots to pierce any worm that dared approach. Holding Lyra in his arms, he began a strategic retreat.
Meanwhile, Lyra advanced to reach her companions, but the man took advantage of her isolation from the group. With a swift movement, he hurled a demon, shaped like a spear, directly at the mage. Lyra tried to react and prepare a countermeasure, but she felt her body at its limit, exhausted.
Justice gripped the scythe tightly and used the weapon to propel herself like an Olympic athlete executing the most crucial throw of her life. Though she seemed utterly determined in her motion, her expression was burdened.
Before Lyra could comprehend what was happening, Justice was in front of her. The woman took the full brunt of the attack, having her abdomen brutally pierced. The force of the impact sent her hurtling toward a precipice. Lyra, eyes wide in shock, hesitated for a moment but refused to falter. She leaped after Justice.
Realizing that Lyra had jumped after her, before they hit the ground, the blood dripping from Justice began to take on a black coloration, transforming the terrain below and giving it properties that softened their fall. Lyra approached, concerned, looking at the woman in black, who, drained of strength, lay motionless on the ground.
Justice lifted a hand with difficulty and touched Lyra's face, attempting to help her rival hold back her tears. Meanwhile, the black blood consumed the spear like white blood cells fighting off invading organisms. Lyra was perplexed by the scene—it was too much information, even for her. Before she could completely break down, Justice, with a forced smile, simply said:
"I hate this part..."
She sighed, exhausted, while the mark on her nape glowed an intense purple, forcing Lyra to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Deimos lying in her lap, a single tear sliding down his violet eye.